Editor Interview: s w i f t s

multiple strengths

Adroit, Annulet, Blackbird, Brevity, Diagram, Sixth Finch, Smokelong, Waxwing, Wigleaf - there are so many!

We select only a few pieces for each issue so the edition can be read in its entirety. We also read submissions regardless of genre so we're open to poems, fiction, nonfiction, but also hybrid forms, the in-betweens, the beyonds.

The only real advice is what you should do for every magazine: read what they've published previously, follow their guidelines, and believe in your work.

I think the most frequent mistake is just sending us writing when we're probably not the best fit for it. We're up to read anything sent to us, but read our past issues first to see what we publish - they're all online for free!

Our philosophy for cover letters and bios is to be courteous and keep it simple. We do ask for them so that we are prepared to publish the writing if we accept it, but we read the writing on its own first.

We can generally tell pretty quickly if we'll want to spend more time considering a piece or not, but we read everything to the end before making a decision.

Before acceptance, we make sure to have read the work multiple times on different days (this goes for most of what we reject, too). We make decisions in a timely manner, but we also want to read the work with all the care and attention we can give it.

We send proofs to our authors and they always get to approve final edits. The work we accept receives proofreading and occasional copyediting. We don't often engage in substantive editing or line editing because we accept pieces we believe are already working on those levels.

Yes! We nominate work for everything we can: Best of the Net, Pushcart Prizes, Best American anthologies, The O’Henry Prize, Best Literary Translations, Best Microfictions, and other awards as applicable.

Our project is editor-funded (which is why we keep costs low!) and volunteer-run.

We promote our project and authors through our newsletter, Instagram and Bluesky pages, and through involvement in literary events and book fairs.